Maren OstlundSimmer seared chicken, black beans and melted cheddar in one skillet for a 40-minute dinner with about 43g protein from real food, no powder.
Maren Ostlund
I taught middle school band for twelve years. At 38 I started lifting weights at the YMCA down the hill, mostly because my back hurt and my doctor suggested it. Somebody at the gym told me to track what I ate for a week. I did. I was eating 58 grams of protein a day, which is roughly one chicken breast and a lot of crackers.Every plan I found told me to eat grilled chicken, rice and broccoli. I tried it for eleven days. I hated it. My husband hated it. My kids ate cereal for dinner twice.So I stopped looking for diet food and went back to what I already cooked. Shepherd's pie. Chicken and dumplings. Baked ziti. Breakfast that is not a shake. I kept the dish and changed the math: more of the protein, less of the filler, cottage cheese where it would hide, lentils in the ground meat, Greek yogurt instead of half the cream.